Multi-sensor management systems for ADAS

Abstract

A vehicle sensor system for providing data for performance of vehicle features may include a plurality of sensors arranged on a vehicle, each sensor having a sensor profile, a memory configured to maintain the sensor profile, and a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors and memory and configured to receive data from each of the plurality of sensors in order at least one vehicle feature, detect a failure of a first sensor in which the first sensor fails to provide sensor data necessary to provide the vehicle feature, and use sensor data received from the second sensor to provide the vehicle feature in response to the sensor profile of the second sensor including a required attribute of the first sensor.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle sensor system for providing data for performance of vehicle features, comprising:
 a plurality of sensors arranged on a vehicle, each sensor having a sensor profile; 
 a memory configured to maintain the sensor profile; 
 a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors and memory and configured to:
 receive data from each of the plurality of sensors to provide at least one vehicle feature; 
 detect a failure of a first sensor in which the first sensor fails to provide sensor data necessary to provide the at least one vehicle feature; 
 use sensor data received from a second sensor to provide the at least one vehicle feature in response to the sensor profile of the second sensor including a required attribute of the first sensor, wherein the required attribute includes one of a sensor field of view and a sensor function; 
 compare the required attribute of the first sensor with the sensor profile of a third sensor; and 
 generate a matching score for each of the second sensor and the third sensor. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the field of view is defined by at least one coordinate set, minimum range, and maximum range. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the sensor profile of the second sensor includes the required attribute in response to a required field of view of the first sensor and the field of view of the second sensor aligning by at least predefined percentage for at least one of the coordinate set, minimum range, and maximum range. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the sensor profile of the second sensor includes the required attribute in response to the second sensor matching a function type of the first sensor. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the required attribute includes a function type indicative of at least one of information type and the at least one vehicle feature. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the matching score for each of the second sensor and the third sensor is based on a degree of match between the required attribute and attributes of the sensor profiles of the second and third sensors. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to select a sensor associated with the highest matching score and use the sensor data from the selected sensor to provide the at least one vehicle feature. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the required attribute includes a plurality of required attributes and the sensor profile of the first sensor defines an attribute priority for prioritizing sensor attributes. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to assign a matching score to each of the matched attributes between the required attributes and the attributes of the second sensor based on the attribute priority. 
     
     
       10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer readable instructions for a software program, the software program being executable by a processor of a computing device to provide operations comprising:
 receiving receive data from each of a plurality of sensors to provide at least one vehicle feature; 
 detecting a failure of a first sensor in which the first sensor fails to provide sensor data necessary to provide the at least one vehicle feature; 
 use sensor data received from a second sensor to provide the at least one vehicle feature in response to the sensor profile of the second sensor including a required attribute of the first sensor, wherein the required attribute includes a plurality of required attributes and the sensor profile of the first sensor defines an attribute priority for prioritizing sensor attributes. 
 
     
     
       11. The medium of  claim 10 , wherein the required attribute includes one of a sensor field of view and a sensor function and wherein the field of view is defined by at least one coordinate set, minimum range, and maximum range. 
     
     
       12. The medium of  claim 11 , further comprising determining that the sensor profile of the second sensor includes the required attribute in response to a required field of view of the first sensor and the field of view of the second sensor aligning by at least predefined percentage for at least one of the coordinate set, minimum range, and maximum range. 
     
     
       13. The medium of  claim 10 , wherein the required attribute includes a function type indicative of at least one of information type and the at least one vehicle feature. 
     
     
       14. The medium of  claim 13 , wherein further comprising determining that the sensor profile of the second sensor includes the required attribute in response to the second sensor matching the function type of the first sensor. 
     
     
       15. The medium of  claim 10 , further comprising comparing the required attribute of the first sensor with the sensor profile of a third sensor, and generating a matching score for each of the second sensor and the third sensor. 
     
     
       16. The medium of  claim 15 , wherein the matching score for each of the second sensor and the third sensor is based on a degree of match between the required attribute and the attributes of the sensor profiles of the second and third sensors, and selecting a sensor associated with the highest matching score and use the sensor data from the selected sensor to provide the at least one vehicle feature. 
     
     
       17. A method for providing data from sensors of a vehicle, comprising:
 receiving receive data from each of a plurality of sensors in order to provide at least one vehicle feature; 
 detecting a failure of a first sensor in which the first sensor fails to provide sensor data necessary to provide the at least one vehicle feature; 
 compare a required attribute of the first sensor with a sensor profile of a second sensor; 
 use sensor data received from the second sensor to provide the at least one vehicle feature in response to the sensor profile of the second sensor including the required attribute of the first sensor; 
 compare the required attribute of the first sensor with the sensor profile of a third sensor; and 
 generate a matching score for each of the second sensor and the third sensor.